Rationale
by ThickerThanLove
Summary: With the Great Gummies returned, a potential alliance lingers between Dunwyn and the Gummi Bears. Ursa and her clan want nothing to do with it. Gruffi seeks out their cub to hopefully play the rational one but what he learns might change his view of their reasons...
Grammi had been trying to stay out of the conversation for a long time but well, it seemed her calm head was needed for resolution after all. Given their discovery journey of the Barbics' origin recently, it had seemed to calm a lot of the rivalry between Ursa and Gruffi though they still had engaged in their share of clashes. Ursa, despite her hot-headed nature, had been trying to keep her temper in check, stating that they were guests in Gruffi's home.

Indeed. With the return of the Great Gummies and the spell of the wizards of Gummadoon, Gummi Glen had been resurrected to its full glory, as had Barbic Woods. The Barbic and Glen Gummies had all gone their separate ways, though amicably. In fact, once they had gotten settled, Gruffi had been quick to travel to the Woods to offer his aid. It seemed that the Barbic Leader and her brood felt inclined to return his hospitality, journeying to Gummi Glen with supplies and hard laborers. Despite Gruffi's pride, he'd accepted the help. They had a LOT of new gummies that needed rooms and supplies as quick as they could!

To their credit, Gruffi and Ursa had been trying to keep things civil. They really just were too much alike! They actually didn't hold a lot of anger or animosity for one another. They just were both so freakin' stubborn! This visit had been pretty good, so far, but Ursa was still trying to keep her distance when Gruffi was in his work mode. So far, Ursa and her group of Barbics had been working on the halls that had been unused for so long. Grammi had to admit it made her a bit starry eyed, imagining them full again!

Gruffi was working primarily on reinforcing the main halls, like the library and living and dining areas. With the Barbics a good ways away from his work, she had taken the chance to retreat to the kitchen, aiding with preparing lunch. The returning gummies had been sleeping anywhere there was room, as well as some of them resting in Gummadoon and Dunwyn. She could scarcely believe that gummies could do that without fear again.

That seemed to be what had spurred the current argument in the main dining hall.

She had missed the beginning of it, but judging from the words she heard, it seemed it was settled on the Barbics refusing a human alliance, indeed, outright rejecting it as even a possibility. Grammi, while disappointed, had not been surprised. Gruffi seemed stuck on the idea that Ursa would not change her mind, even to do a temporary alliance or a 'no-aggression' pact. Grammi just figured it was not something to push but Gruffi saw it as...well, as the Barbics being 'stubborn' and 'unyielding' and 'prejudiced!' despite that when he had first met Cavin and Calla, he had been very cautious as well. Grammi didn't doubt that over time, Ursa _might_ change her tune but attacking the idea as was Gruffi's way...well, it did little to convince her. It had been a HUGE step that Ursa had accepted Cavin! Especially after what they had learned, did it really surprise Gruffi that Ursa was not so gung-ho on accepting Calla, let alone a whole city?

Grammi suspected that it was more Gruffi's protective nature over Calla and Cavin than his interpretation of Ursa as 'callous' and 'blind.' She didn't doubt that his thoughts about Ursa's decision beign disrespectful to Calla and Cavin had some root to his fierceness. Maybe, if Ursa had not flat out said "no, I won't" then Gruffi may not have been so frustrated. The fact that Ursa had remarked that she would not even fathom a "no aggression" pact had really gotten under Gruffi's skin. She had shook her head at the concept, said she would not enter into any such promise. He saw her as being backward, as not embracing a potential future...despite the fact that he would have rejected such a prospect less than two years ago. Cavin and Calla had changed him more than he knew!

But, it wasn't Ursa that was exchanging words with Gruffi.

Instead, she found a very livid young barbic teenager, fangs bared, ears flat against his head and nearly spitting fire!

"Kid," Gruffi's response was strained and he had his teeth clenched. "All I'm sayin' is that talk to Ursa 'bout it. All she's agreein' to is that you all won't attack the humans and the humans are givin' their word not to attack you! They know we exist now. You can't just vanish away and expect them to forget it. This means that Calla won't let anything attack you, including her own people. Ain't that what you want?"

"No!" Buddi's response was full of anger, indignant feelings pouring over every word. "No, you don't understand dauui of this!"

Gruffi's fur bristled a bit at the accusation. He didn't know exactly what that word meant but he could wager a decent guess. If there was one thing that got to him, it was being accused he was incapable of something. Especially by a younger bear, a kid! Ursa had a reputation as being arrogant and well, unrelenting with Gruffi. He had hoped that her son would be more understanding but it seemed he was just as hard-headed as her! Did they REALLY think they were that apart from the other gummies?

"Look, kid." Gruffi's voice was stern, cold. The kind of tone that usually preceded him dishing out some kind of punishment. If Buddi had been his cub, he probably would have. "I ain;t saying what happened to your clan wasn't bad. It was. But you can't stay stuck there! You made friends with Cavin, didn't you?"

The cub nodded, "yes." his tone was clipped, short. "But that's one person. You're asking Ursa to give that same trust that Cavin EARNED to a buncha humans just cause Cavin knows them?!"

"Kid, your clan isn't the only one that was hurt by humans!" Gruffi nearly exploded. "We were too! We didn't dwindle to six overnight. We had our share..."

"Did you see it?" Buddi's reply was unexpected, low, calm.

Unnerving.

Grammi crept forward slowly, settled her hands on Buddi's shoulders in an attempt to be supportive and hopefully defuse this emotional confrontation. She gave Gruffi a warning glance but much like the cub, he was emotionally riled right now. He scarcely gave a response to her and Buddi only gave a faint nod that he knew she was there before repeating, "Did you see it, Gruffi?"

Blinking, Gruffi eyed the cub, more irritated than anything by the question. He had been dealing with the repercussions of the past since before this cub was born! Dealing with the threat of discovery every day, dealing with potentially losing clan members, dealing with attacks...the cub sure had a lot of nerve. Like mother, like cub, it seemed. "I see the effects of it all the time-"

"Did. You. See. It?" Buddi's hands were balled, his breaths were strained. He truly looked like he wanted to leap at Gruffi and claw at his face but he was staying still, his breathing rhythmic and timed. Grammi knew a potential temper outburst when she saw it but Gruffi just wasn't getting the hint. "Did you see it, Gruffi?" Buddi asked again, "Did you SEE your clan dwindle or did it just happen? Did you SEE them picked off, one by one? Did you SEE it?"

Gruffi blinked, more than a little...well, disturbed at the boy's wording. "we lost a bunch of bears, kid." He defended himself. "Accidents, sickness...some of them left and never came back..."

"Do you know what it's like to WATCH someone die?"

Grammi cut in, kneeling down, "Buddi..."

"No." He interrupted her. "If Gruffi is so gung-ho and so-right about Ursa being ridiculous then I wanna hear him answer." He locked eyes with the Glen leader. "Well, have you WATCHED someone die?"

Gruffi was quiet a long moment. He had seen a battle during their time travel trip, seen lots of gummies fall, seen Kuriani's little sister fall. But, had he been right next to them, no. Something told him that was what Buddi was getting at. "Not personally, no. Found them, buried them..." He closed his eyes in memory. "Don't you dare tell me that ain't noth-"

"Ursa has. Gritti has. Grubbi has. _I_have." Buddi interrupted. "You're right, burying someone...it's not easy. It hurts. It hurts a lot. Never seeing someone again when they leave, it hurts. But...to SEE someone DIE in front of you..." He shook his head, "It's DIFFERENT Gruffi!" He stepped forward, shrugged Grammi's hand off. "Fyca saw her parents killed, right in front of her! Close enough that blood stained her face!" He narrowed his eyes, "Gritti's dad was slaughtered the night the woods fell and all Gritti got from trying to save him was to lose his eye! Grubbi's cousin, Lorani...killed right next to him. Our old healer, dead in Grubbi's arms. Lundi's best friend, fell on top of him when his body went cold. And me..."

Buddi closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were wet, dripping. "Ozzi took a blade meant for me. Right here." he put a hand under his ribs. "Then grabbed me and ran. While the whole forest burned around us. Ran until he couldn't run anymore and he collapsed. He bled all over me, yelled at me to run, yelled at me to leave. No...no, I told him, I wasn't gonna let him die like this. Not alone, no." He locked his jaw. "Took seven minutes, Gruffi. Only three when we couldn't run anymore. Know what it's like to see that color leave someone's face, to see the light leave their eyes?!"

"Buddi..." Grammi knelt, again, trying to be comforting, "Sweetheart..."

"And human-caused, All of them!" Buddi snarled, ignoring her. "Yes, Cavin's good. I've seen that. Calla may be too, I dunno. But...after you _see_ so many lost...I'm sorry Gruffi but we're not gonna take a promise of no aggression. We have to SEE it." He shook his head, "I'm not sayin' you guys haven't seen a lot. You have, I'm sure. But...when you hold your clan members...your FAMILY...in your arms and WATCH them fade away..."

"Buddi." this tone was different and from the side. The cub turned and found Ursa standing by the doorway. She simply made a gesture with her hand and he withdrew from the Glen gummies, trotting to her side. She knelt to his level, put one hand to his chest, over his heart, "Ras'iu, daca."

He nodded, took a deep breath then turned to Gruffi, "Sorry. But...my fyca knows what she's doing. don't ever say she doesn't." Here, his ears went flat a moment, "Ever."

"Daca." Ursa's tone was sterner this time. "Ras'iu, daca, ras'iu."

Nodding, Buddi fell into step behind her, as she gently guided him out of the room. The barbic leader paused, just briefly, when Gruffi called to her,

"Ursa...I didn't mean to...I just...I think if you gave them a chance..."

"never said I wouldn't." Ursa responded, "Might have sounded like that but it wasn't. Cavin's shown he's good. Looks like his girl may be too. Maybe they can keep the humans that aren't in check... But...it's like Buddi said, Gruffi. I have to _see_ it."

TRANSLATIONS:  
Daca-Pet name for son; best translation would be "sweet/dear son"  
dauui-crude way to say "topic at hand"; could be translated as "fucking anything" or "a damn thing"  
Ras'iu-Command meaning "you're irrational, control your emotions"


End file.
